AFM Examination of the DentinSurface (Our Experience)

Overview

Microscopy of atomic forces – AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) belongs to techniquesof microscopy scanning by a probe, which are used for imaging structure of surfaces. It isbased of mapping the distribution of atomic forces on the surface of the sample underinvestigation.AFMprovides a true to topographic three-dimensional picture of the surface withup to atomic discrimination. In addition to physics and chemistry of the surfaces the methodis also applicable in biological disciplines. A special adjustment of the AFM scanner makes itpossible to follow biological samples in liquid media. It makes it possible to exclude variousartifacts caused by dehydration.The dention of human teeth is known to be excessively sensitive to dehydration and exsiccation,which is used the standard preparation of samples for the examination in SEM (ScanningElectron Microscopy).The paper describes our experience in the examination of the dentin surface in extracted thirdmolars by means of AFM under wet conditions.

Key words:
Atomic Force Microscopy – dentin – smear layer